If our consumerism were a living, breathing creature, what would it look like? A group of environmentalists in Slovenia picture our growing consumerist culture as a scary monster with tentacles that reach out to envelop the world. This giant sculpture in the town of Ljubljana represents the waste problems and consumerism that threaten to overtake the planet.

The group collected more than 40,000 plastic bags and 7,500 used plastic cups from all over the town. Collecting from individuals, kindergartens, primary schools, high schools, school faculty and even picking up trash from the street, the environmentalists amassed this huge collection and then set to work turning it into the scary (yet sort of adorable) face of consumerism.

The waste monster’s shape soon took form and its tentacles began to spread all throughout the town. Its message is clear: the curse of our modern culture is the mounds of garbage we leave behind. If we are not vigilant, the waste will continue to multiply and overtake the world.

The monster feeds on laziness and environmental irresponsibility, growing and continuously stretching its tentacles ever further. The sculpture is called The Tackle of the Tentacle and it is the work of The Miha Artnak.

According to the group, the monster has grown acclimated to its environment and that makes it even more dangerous. It continues to thrive and will eventually replace humans in the food chain if we do not become aware of the problem and work to solve it. The monster itself may be cute, but its message is serious. The reaching, wandering tentacles are a novel and very tangible way of getting that message out to everyone in this town and beyond.